India is getting closer to formal rules for artificial intelligence. IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on October 8, 2026 that the government will release a consultation paper on India AI regulation within a month, with safety and deepfakes among its main focus areas. The paper will then form the base for an AI regulatory framework.
He made the remarks at the launch of the World Bank’s World Development Report 2026 on the promise of artificial intelligence, according to Business Standard.
What the India AI regulation paper will focus on
Based on reports from PTI, The Economic Times, The Indian Express and Business Standard, the paper is expected to cover:
- AI safety, which the minister called “the most important point”
- AI harms, including deepfakes, cybersecurity, user harm and psychological disorders
- A human-first approach
- Skilling, with a commitment to leave no person behind
“I’ll request the department to come out with a regulation-focused consultation paper, which focuses on safety. That’s the most important point: safety related to AI use,” Vaishnaw said. The Indian Express reports that the government will invite comments on the paper.
Why deepfakes are a key concern
Vaishnaw called deepfakes a “nuisance which can cause huge problems in society” and noted their quality is improving every day. “People believe them, and it sets a totally wrong precedent. It sets a totally wrong narrative, and people get lured into doing wrong things and believing wrong things,” he said.
This isn’t the first step on the issue. The Times of India reports the announcement comes about two months after the government tightened the IT Rules for social media platforms and other online intermediaries to tackle AI-generated deepfakes and other synthetic content.
A “techno-legal” approach, with industry responsible
The minister said AI can’t be regulated by law alone. “We have to bring a techno-legal solution,” he said, adding that all stakeholders need to be brought on board. He was also clear about who carries the load: “The industry has to take the primary responsibility.”
“So we’ll come out with that paper in a month’s time from now, and based on that we’ll go forward with the regulation,” he said.
Two sides of the debate
Supporters of regulation will see this as timely. Deepfakes, online fraud and harm to users are real security concerns, and a public consultation gives citizens, researchers and companies a say before rules are finalised.
Others will want to see the detail before judging. Putting primary responsibility on industry raises practical questions for startups and smaller developers about compliance costs and how “safety” and “harm” will be defined. There’s also the question of how a techno-legal approach will balance safety with free expression and innovation. Since the paper hasn’t been released yet, these are open questions, and readers can decide once the draft is out.
What this could mean for India
As a writer, I feel this is a consultation worth paying attention to rather than just reading headlines about. Most of us have already seen a fake video or voice clip forwarded on a family group, so the deepfake focus feels personal. I’d like to see the paper written in simple language and the comment window kept open long enough for ordinary users, not just big companies, to share their views.
Related reading: what deepfake technology is, how to spot a deepfake picture, and a survey on AI-generated image abuse.